Judge halts Trump's order allowing states to block refugees A federal judge on Wednesday halted President Donald Trump's executive order that gave state and local officials the ability to shut the door on refugees and ignited a fierce debate in communities about how welcoming the United States should beSILVER SPRING, Md. In issuing a preliminary injunction, Messitte said the process should continue as it has for nearly 40 years, with refugee resettlement agencies deciding where a person would best thrive. Church World Service, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, and HIAS — a Jewish nonprofit — filed the lawsuit in Greenbelt, Maryland, on Nov. 21. The order was the latest attempt by the Trump administration to thrust states and cities into immigration policy. The head of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, said Trump's order was already causing “irreparable harm to refugee families."

Source: ABC News January 15, 2020 18:28 UTC